Wonder Boys host final exhibition todayWonder Boys basketball will participate in their final exhibition of the 2016 preseason on Saturday, hosting Livin' The Dream basketball organization at 3 p.m. in Tucker Coliseum. Arkansas Tech began the play this fall with an exhibition against Texas-San Antonio on Monday, falling 91-89 on a last-second layup. The Wonder Boys were led by newcomers Trevon Woods and Montrell Williams, scoring 24 and 20 points, respectively. Bennie Lufile also a...

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Sand Lizards beat Cougars 45-23DARDANELLE -- The visiting Helena-West Helena Cougars suffered four turnovers, while the Dardanelle Sand Lizards turned two of those into touchdowns en route to a 45-23 win Friday night in the first round of the 4A state playoffs at Bob Keenan Field. Dakota Rowland scored two touchdowns and had one of the interceptions that was turned into a touchdown for Dardanelle (9-2), which won its seventh straight game in 2016 and won again at home in th...

Golden Suns drop regular season finale to OuachitaARKADELPHIA -- Arkansas Tech volleyball fell in the regular-season finale on Thursday, dropping a three-set match to Ouachita. With the loss, the Golden Suns fall into a three-way tie for third in the Great American Conference's final regular-season standings. How it happened Tech (21-11, 11-5 GAC) took six of the first seven points of the match and later took a 14-6 lead on a 6-0 run. Ouachita (22-7, 12-4 GAC) responded, however, with a 12-2 ...

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Wildcats get revenge on RisonHECTOR — The Hector Wildcats made up for two years of disappointment at the hands of the Rison Wildcats with a 52-27 win on Friday at Linton Field. Rison knocked Hector out of the Class 2A state playoffs two years in a row, but bygones are bygones after Friday's victory. "It feels really good," Hector head coach Kyle Russell said after the win. "We felt like we were the better football team coming in, but we knew we were going to have to execu...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Sand Lizards host West HelenaDARDANELLE -- Sand Lizard Nation might be getting spoiled on first round home playoff games. The Dardanelle Sand Lizards have been home for round one three years in a row. In that same time frame, Dardanelle (8-2) has only lost four games in three years. It's been good, first-year head coach Phil Vega said. "It's awesome as a program," he said. "And it's something the kids are used to. We've been the No. 1 seed three years in a row, and it's a...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Dover facing dominant Scrappers in 4ADOVER -- Pirates head coach Greg Smith has a prevailing thought when it comes to today's game against the undefeated and defending Class 4A state champion Nashville Scrappers. "Our kids aren't scared," he said. "I can promise you that." Dover, who at one time were in control of the 4A-4 with a flawless 5-0 record, finished 7-3 and the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A State Tournament. Critical losses to Booneville, Ozark and Pottsville destined the ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Wonder Boys face undefeated BisonsA football regular season defined by close games will come to an end for Arkansas Tech University on Saturday, Nov. 12, with the greatest challenge the 2016 Wonder Boys have faced. Arkansas Tech (6-4) will visit nationally fifth-ranked Harding University (10-0) for a 2 p.m. contest at First Security Stadium in Searcy. Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will have live coverage. Seven of the Wonder Boys' 10 games this sea...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

#throwbackthursdayTHE COURIER / File Sam McEntyre, Dardanelle's junior second baseman, waits for a throw as a Pottsville runner safely steals second base. McEntyre helped the Sand Lizards beat Clinton by going four for four at the plate. The Lizards play a key stretch of games this week with contests scheduled with Lamar Thursday, Greenbrier Friday and Dover Tuesday. Reprinted from a 1993 edition of The Courier

Lady Devils get honorsTHE COURIER / Submitted Lady Devils get honors Four Atkins Lady Red Devils received post season honors recently. Ivy Sweeden was named All-Conference, Alejandra Handie was named All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament, Mary Kate Brown was named All-Conference and All-State and Briana Collins was named All-Conference and All-District Tournament.

Sand Lizards win season openerJESSIEVILLE -- The Dardanelle Sand Lizards basketball team opened their season with a 39-36 win over Jessieville on Tuesday. Dardanelle (1-0) led 12-5 after the first quarter and 21-16 at halftime. Jessiville tied the score 28-28 in the third quarter, but the Sand Lizards prevailed in the end. "This was a great way to start our season," Dardanelle head coach Russell Sturdivant said. "We had a group of guys stay the course tonight and defend fr...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

RHS receives postseason awardsTHE COURIER / Submitted RHS receives postseason awards The Russellville Lady Cyclones received postseason recognition during an awards banquet recently. Hannah Marasco, Emily Posey, Rachel Prochazka and Bailey Wilbers were named All-Conference. Wilbers and Posey were also named to All-State. Wilbers and Prochazka were named to the All-State Tournament team. Pictured: The Lady Cyclones celebrate after a win in the Class 6A State Tournament. Rus...

Cyclones: Did you know?THE COURIER / Caitlin Whorton The Cyclones have not earned a first-round playoff bye since 2008. Russellville beat Fort Smith Northside 13-7 in round two at Cyclone Stadium to advance to the Class 7A semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champion Bentonville 27-0. Pictured: Caleb Stokes runs the ball during Russellville's victory over the Siloam Springs Panthers on Friday in the final game of the regular season.

Lady Eagles hungry for playoff returnCLARKSVILLE -- The University of the Ozarks women's basketball team is eager to return to the postseason after missing American Southwest Conference Tournament a year ago. Under the direction of head coach Carl Ramsey, the Eagles boast a talented incoming class and the return one of the top players in the ASC. Ramsey has eight new players and senior forward Bryanna Moltz is the lone starter back to fuel a potential postseason run. Moltz is a p...

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Tech moves into tie for first with winDespite dropping the first two sets to Harding, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns won a five-set thriller on Tuesday, moving into a four-way tie for first in the Great American Conference standings. Kaylee Konsella led the way on senior night, tallying a season-high 20 kills including the match-winner. How it happened Harding (20-7, 11-4 GAC) dominated early, as the Golden Suns were forced to commit 15 attack errors through the first two sets. The...

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Cyclones drop two spots in AP pollThe Russellville Cyclones dropped to No. 9 overall in The Associated Press Arkansas Prep Poll despite a convincing win over the Siloam Springs Panthers to close out the regular season. Russellville was previously ranked No. 7 across all classifications. The Cyclones, who were ranked No. 2 in Class 6A for the majority of the season, also dropped to No. 4 in Class 6A behind Greenwood, Pine Bluff and Jonesboro. In Class 2A, Danville is ranked No....

Jr. Lady Pirates beat Hector in tourneyDOVER -- The Dover Junior Lady Pirates opened the Pope County Tournament with a 43-22 victory over the Hector Junior Lady Wildcats on Monday. Dover led 11-0 at the end of the first quarter and 26-6 by halftime. After the third quarter, the Junior Lady Pirates were up 36-13. "This was a nice start for these girls," Dover head coach Charlie Melton said. "Very proud of the team effort. Dover was led in scoring by Avery Reichert with 13 points. Am...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Wonder Boys drop exhibition against UT-San AntonioSAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Despite leading for 27 of the 40 minutes, the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys dropped an exhibition to the University of Texas at San Antonio on Monday night. A last-second layup broke the tie and gave the Roadrunners the 91-89 win. How it happened Grant Prusator opened the scoring with a three-pointer to give the Wonder Boys the first lead of the contest. The first half featured five ties and nine lead changes, but a 6-1 run i...

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RHS wins NCA Arkansas ChallengeHOT SPRINGS -- The Russellville High School cheerleaders won the Class 6A All Girl Division at the NCA Arkansas Challenge on Saturday. "This is our first competition of the season so it is sort of like a first run of our routine," Russellville head coach Shirley Wade said. "The girls have been working on it since we learned the choreography in July." Russellville scored 94.20, which Wade said was the highest she has seen in her career as head ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley